Measures of the Heart
by Violet Princess
Summary: When Mimi's love for another breaks Izzy's heart, it destroys any hope of his own...but is she really the one he loves? Please read and review


Measures of the Heart  
  
Izzy sat on the rotting log as a flood of emotions washed over him. The forest was unusually calm for a sunny Saturday morning; the birds must have sensed his confusion and left him alone. Izzy wished he could do the same. He hated himself for not being able to let go.  
  
*flashback*  
  
He didn't know when it started, that his heart beat faster whenever she was around. All he knew was that he longed to gather her in his arms, but how to tell her?  
  
Izzy felt confused and bewildered. If he had the crest of knowledge, why didn't he know how to say three certain words to Mimi? Why was he suddenly so hesitant to speak to her?  
  
And so he waited, keeping these feelings to himself. He confided them only to a mental image, the way he pictured the girl he loved.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
Though she was nowhere near, he could picture her in his mind. Izzy pressed his head into his hands as images of her face tormented him. A mix of emotions rushed at him from the memories.  
  
The love was still there, deep inside of him, but now he felt only anger and hurt towards her. She had acted so differently from the way he had imagined her to be.  
  
*flashback*  
  
The red-checkered cloth lay perfectly flat; Mimi could always find a smooth patch of ground. The remains of the picnic spread were tossed into to large hamper, and light conversation was all they had appetite for after the delectable treats from Mimi's birthday picnic that Friday afternoon.  
  
Izzy sat slightly separate from the others, staring into space while idly clicking on the minesweeper board. He lost and groaned inwardly about his distraction. He glanced over at the other digidestined; Mimi wasn't there.  
  
Suddenly she was perched on the log beside him. "Is anything wrong?" she chirped, flashing a dazzling grin.  
  
The effervescence of her smile blinded Izzy, and he knew it was time. "There's a dance tonight," he blurted out, then bit his lip.  
  
Mimi nodded. "I.uh.a-are you going?" he stammered.  
  
She cast a surreptitious glance at the others. "Yes, I'll be there," Mimi smiled kindly. "See you tonight?"  
  
Izzy grinned dizzily. "Yeah." She walked away, leaving him in a state of happy disbelief.  
  
Didn't she seem to reciprocate his feelings? Tonight he would tell her, and she would know, too, that it was true love-he knew it.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
His eyes showed signs of sleepiness, bloodshot with darkened ovals underneath. The shirt on his back was rumpled and his jacked still lay balled up where he had used it as a pillow.  
  
Morning had not brought relief, just continuation of last night's disbelief. Why had his heart told him that it was okay to fall in love? A feeling inside insisted that he wait and give it a chance, but patience was one thing Izzy lacked.  
  
The package in his pocket dug into his skin, the once-talisman burning increasingly the more he tried to ignore it.  
  
Had it only been last night that his heart had been broken?  
  
*flashback*  
  
By the time Izzy got to the dance, the lights were dim and people moved in time with the music.. He frantically scanned faces, searching for a familiar one. Then he saw her.  
  
Mimi could stand out in any crowd, even without the glittery pink of her hair. She outshone every other girl there yet sustained them, like a sun among stars. Her laugh rang clearly above the din; her voice echoed gaily with a pure tone that made his heart pound.  
  
Izzy made his way towards her, fingering the package in his pocket- her birthday present. He didn't know why he had chosen the simple silver chain; its small amethyst pendant had radiated with a gleam that nothing else possessed.  
  
That same something had stopped him from giving it to her at the picnic, told him to wait.  
  
He imagined how it would look around her slender neck. With that thought in mind, Izzy approached the nucleus of the crowd, knowing she would be there. She was, of course-she always was followed and surrounded by people.  
  
Izzy came up behind her. "Hi," he muttered.  
  
Mimi whirled around and smiled at him. "Hi yourself." Her hips swayed automatically to the deafening drumbeat of the music and the glitter dust on her pink leather belt caught what little light there was. "Isn't this fun?"  
  
"Yeah." He suffered from momentary loss of verbal ability. 'Come on!' he commanded himself silently. 'Just be yourself and the time will come; can't you see that she loves you back?'  
  
The song ended, and a slower melody diffused from the domineering black speakers. He didn't recognize the song, but Mimi seemed to-she hummed the harmony to herself.  
  
Izzy cleared his throat. "Do you want to dance?" He found himself yelling to be heard over the general buzz of vocals in song and conversation.  
  
Mimi nodded, still humming, her eyes scanning the crowd. They lit up suddenly. "Hold on; I promised this song to someone else. Wait here for me!"  
  
She disappeared into the mass of bodies before he could open his mouth. Izzy stared after her retreating figure, anxiously jealous, and wondered who this lucky partner could be.  
  
Mimi approached the boy slowly, almost shyly. He seemed to be looking for someone, then turned and saw her. She entered his arms and they danced, in union with each other and the world.  
  
Izzy tried to turn his head, but found it impossible to look away; somehow he knew what was coming. As the song ended, Mimi hugged the boy, and he pulled something from his pocket to give to her. Snatches of their conversation drifted over to Izzy's ears.  
  
He heard her gasp, "Joe, it's beautiful! You shouldn't have!" He turned around sharply and recognized the blue hair of his friend.  
  
Suddenly she was in Joe's embrace; Izzy was disgusted by their outpour of affection. He turned away with bitter resentment. She had led him to believe that she returned his feelings, and now! .this betrayal.  
  
He looked over, but Mimi was making her way towards him. He moved away slowly from the spot as she approached.  
  
"Izzy!" she called; he didn't meet her eyes. Mimi exchanged worried glances with Joe. "Izzy," she repeated. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"You know," Izzy spat. He turned his back on the girl whom he had loved, and ran.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
Izzy pounded his fist into his palm, angry at how he had behaved last night. He knew that he should never run from his problems, but sometimes it was best to be alone in one's despair.  
  
Besides, who was there for him to go to? 'Turn to the one whom you love,' his heart urged. Izzy laughed wryly at his heart's folly. Why would he talk to Mimi about it? But then, had they ever loved each other?  
  
*flashback*  
  
Izzy was short of breath when he reached the morning's picnic site. The moon was out, but the treetops blocked a portion of it, casting a shadowy outline where before the sun had shone.  
  
He collapsed in a bed of leaves and gave in to a night of fitful sleep. Why was he tormented even in dreams by a female face? He saw himself staring at the blurred image of a girl and shouting "I love you," but she never heard. Izzy welcomed morning gratefully.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
The crackling of the fry leaves failed to forewarn him of the approaching figure; Izzy jerked sharply as someone sat down beside him. He was startled by the similarity of the features. "Mimi?" he choked.  
  
The girl shook her head. "Yolei," she reminded gently. "I thought I'd find you here." She looked at him with concern. "I know what happened last night, and I was worried about you."  
  
Izzy turned on her savagely. "Girls and their fake caring! You're just like her; don't deny it; I've seen you try. All you care about is yourselves, no matter who's heart is broken. You especially-just like Mimi, a little flirting devil. Go away! Just.just."  
  
He paused for breath and a pathetic sound filled the air, yet so soft it was barely audible. Yolei removed her glasses to wipe her eyes, and heart-wrenching sobs wracked her body. Her brown eyes glistened with tears; he chided himself for never previously acknowledging their beauty.  
  
Izzy felt embarrassed. "Don't cry," he muttered, and awkwardly placed his arm around her shoulders. She sighed deeply and leaned her head on his shoulder, snuggling closer.  
  
'Wait!' his mind screamed, but his heart told him it was right. Mimi had never loved him and he never her; he had misjudged his feelings. This was what he had been waiting for.  
  
Suddenly Izzy bent down and gently pressed his lips against hers. Yolei resisted, startled, then gave in to his lingering kiss. The passion triggered something in them both, and it was reluctantly that he pulled away.  
  
He tilted her chin up and looked deep into her starry brown eyes. "I never realized that I, that you felt this way. I'm sorry about what I said earlier; I've been such a jerk."  
  
She put a finger to his lips. "Don't say that. It's in the past; what matters is that we're here together, now."  
  
Izzy nodded, and pulled the small velvet box from his pocket. "This is for you," he said, thrusting it at her. Yolei looked at him questioningly. He understood her thoughts perfectly. "No, it's yours. I thought it was for her, but it was always meant for you."  
  
She slowly lifted the lid and gasped in marvel at the gift. He lifted it from the box and fastened the delicate silver chain around her neck. The amethyst sparkled brilliantly in the early morning light, accenting the lavender of her hair and the glimmer in her eyes.  
  
She embraced Izzy, and as he held her close he began to understand true love, and the measures of one's heart.  
  
*the ~ end* 


End file.
